How We Saved Halloween
GodlyJewel: I'm back! I was so glad people liked my first NBC story and I hope I get the same reaction for this one. Sorry it took so long, but reality intervened (not to mention the plot bunnies had me working on other stuff). Not to mention it took forever writing the scenes from the game. Yes, this is a based from the video game sequel, The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge. Also my dear friend, Cosmic Horse, is back to help me because she has been given a bigger role.
Cosmic Horse: And I get to play a lot more in this story than the last one! *does happy dance, knocking a lamp over*… Did you need that lamp? *kicks it under a table* Cuz I broke it…love you…
GodlyJewel: *rolls eyes* Anyway, please enjoy and don't forget to leave your reviews.
Rating: E10 — j.k. It's T for language, and probably for mild violence (I'm looking at you Cosmic).
Disclaimer: Everything NBC belongs to Tim Burton and all his creative genius. The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge belongs to the gaming companies.
I only own the OC's…Okay, technically Cosmic has taken claim for Al.
Chapter 1: Happy Halloween
(Will's POV)
Finally it was that night of the year again, one of my favorite holidays: Halloween. A night when people go out — disguised as monsters and ghouls — knocking on doors for treats lest their neighbors get tricked. A time for watching scary movies and pulling wicked pranks to scare friends and family. Yep, just probably one of the best holidays out there.
Only this Halloween, instead of spending it at my new apartment, I was at my parent's house dog sitting. Dad had to work the graveyard shift at the hospital and Mom was in California visiting family. So here I was, stuck at home handing out candy to trick-or-treaters. At least it wasn't a total bore. I may not get to decorate the house with spooky decorations, but at least I got to dress up and see all the neighborhood kids in their cute little costumes. And the best part, I had invited Al and Kat to come over for a Halloween party.
As I was fixing some treats, the doorbell rang. I ran to the door but checked to see first if I needed the candy bowl. I didn't. "Hey Ally!"
"Mi amore! I have come and brought dessert!" she replied in a horrible French accent as she stepped through the door. I restrained from telling her that 'mi amore' was Italian, not French.
As she entered I got a good look at her costume. Al was wearing a double-breasted Chef's Jacket with pearl buttons, a front pocket, and a pocket on the sleeve; a pair of black cotton baggy chef pants, black dress shoes, a tall white Chef's hat, and her special black apron. On the front was a skull wearing a red eye patch and a white Chef's hat. Instead of crossbones, a bone spatula and bone fork-thing crossed behind the skull. The caption read "Captain Cook: Surrender Your Buns."
"I thought you said you were dressing as Jack Sparrow?" I had given her a Jack pirate hat for her seventeenth birthday, and she insisted she'd be a female version of her favorite pirate for Halloween this year.
"I was but then if I didn't wear this I couldn't bring Crepe." Al turned to the side and, sticking out of her messenger bag, was Al's cross-eyed cat Crepe, dressed as a crepe. "By the way," Al asked, "what the heck are you supposed to be?"
I looked down at my costume, an idea I'd gotten from a friend. I wore a full-length red spider web-patterned poncho over a black, formfitting body suit, with fingerless gloves. I also wore my black, calf-high boots and a spider broach was pinned to my poncho. My makeup was done with pink eye shadow, black mascara, and a purple shadow around my eyes to give them a hallow look. I wore no blush and my porcelain foundation made me look even paler than usual, and my lips were painted in purple lipstick.
I smiled as Al continued puzzling over my costume. It made me laugh. "I'm Lydia Deetz, from the cartoon Beetlejuice." She still looked confused so I waited while she processed for the memory. Finally it clicked.
"Oh! I get it," she exclaimed, "but uh… I thought Lydia had black hair."
Well, that was true. I had gotten my costume from what I found at Value Village but the only thing I couldn't find was a Lydia wig. You'd think that when I found the other pieces — especially a descent replica of her spider broach — I could find a Lydia wig too. Sadly no. So I ended up using my wig from last year's fairy costume. It was long, past my shoulders, and had bangs with a side part, but it was silvery white. It also glowed in the dark when it got enough light. Well, that package said it was supposed to but I've yet to see it happen.
"I know but its all I had," I explained.
"Eh whateves. Black is over rated anyways." Al walked over to the couch and plopped down on the couch, squishing her bag between herself and the armrest. Crepe meowed as she squeezed herself free and slinked to the other side of the couch. At that moment Mogwai walked in. Earlier I had wrestled my poor dog into a hotdog costume. He was not very happy with me. He spotted Crepe and barked as he bounded up to the couch and to lie down next to his buddy. I'm still not sure why a cat and dog are best friends, but my theory is that Mogwai ignores the fact Crepe's a cat because she acts more like a dog. That, or the cross-eyes feline has some hypnotic power over him.
Al saw the hotdog costume and burst out laughing. "He's not even a Wiener Dog!" She earned a glare from Mogwai.
I laughed too. "I know but Miss Princess wouldn't fit in the thing."
As I said that, the very dog walked into the room. Princess was my mother's fawn pug. She was older than Mogwai and, true to her name that dog acted as if she ruled the house. For Halloween I'd managed to get her into a ballerina tutu and matching crown. She walked in and looked around as if she were bored.
Al fawned over the large pug. "And how is the lovely Princess today?" She got off the couch and went to scratch the pug in her favorite itchy spot. Princess huffed and went over to sit in the bay window.
"So, you hungry?" I asked Al, ignoring the indifferent dog.
"Famished," Al said. "Dressing like a French chef and driving here with an extremely large crepe next to me didn't help any."
"Okay, there's snacks in the kitchen," I laughed, "and I just made a chocolate bunt cake with a raspberry filling. I even used colored buttercream to make it look like a jack-o-lantern."
Al pretended to drool and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "Sounds amazing!" she said, "I'll cut it!" She bounded towards the kitchen. As she reached to open the gate that led to the kitchen, I remembered why I'd shut the thing in the first place. "Wait, Al!"
But it was too late. As she opened the gate a small yellow and brown blur rushed past Al straight toward the couch. Al spazzed out. "What in the H.E. double hockey sticks is that?!"
"Sorry, I forgot to tell you," I apologized. "Dad got a new dog. We have to keep her behind the gate because she bothers the others."
"Dear Mary Moses," Al said, looking the small dog over. "She is hecka cute though!"
Said puppy was at that moment right in Mogwai's face, licking and biting him to get him play with her. She also went after Crepe. The poor cat was trying it's hardest to escape to the top of my couch. I think what made the whole thing all the funnier was the fact that the puppy was dressed as a banana.
I grabbed the wriggling pup and brought her over for Al to see. Which was no easy task. The wild child was wriggling around like a salmon with claws. "Al, I'd like you to meet Bug. She's a four month old bug."
Al cooed at the puppy. "Look at the little banana!"
Yes, Bugs was a cutie. When I said she was a bug, I meant she was a mutt: half pug and half Boston terrier. She has an adorable bobbed tail and her fur was a gorgeous brindle coloring with a white diamond patch on her chest. Still, that left me to deal with her tonight. Getting a better grip, I walked past Al and placed Bugs back in the kennel in the dinette. Poor baby started whining the moment I walked back to Al.
Al looked at me with a hopeful look. "So cake?"
I nodded my head and smiled. "Yes, we can have cake now."
"Yippee!" Al said, rushing towards the cake but stopped again. "Nothing else will rush out at me, will it?"
"No." She smiled and rushed to the cake. I couldn't help but feel a little scared by the way she smiled evilly as she held the knife to cut the cake.
"Oh, by the way, Kat isn't coming tonight." I realized that now was not the best to tell her that. Al gripped the knife a bit harder before slamming it deep into the cake.
"What the chiz? Why does she always bail on us!?" Al exclaimed, continuing to take her anger out on the cake, yet cutting it into perfect pieces. "This is so lame!"
"Now don't get upset," I said as I calmly made my way over to the knife. I took the weapon from her trembling hand and placed it on the opposite counter. "Kat had to work tonight and she couldn't get out of it. They were understaffed, but at least their paying her for the overtime."
"They better frickin' be paying overtime! Geez that girl works her feets off for them!" Al said, eyeing the knife before laughing. "Psycho French Chef Massacres All Workers At Designer Shoe Warehouse. I can see it now."
Oh boy, when Al gets in revenge mode, people better look out. Poor Kat. I really did feel bad because little did Al know that I had a special surprise in store for her.
We gathered up our goodies and prepared for our traditional Halloween movie marathon. We had a wide selection of movies to chose from: Young Frankenstein, Van Helsing, Alien vs. Predator, The Ghost and The Darkness, Midnight Lace, and of course, my all time favorite, The Nightmare Before Christmas. We decided on Van Helsing first. About halfway though the movie I excused myself, saying I wanted to get some more snacks. While Al was glued to the screen as werewolf Van Helsing fought with Dracula, I snuck into my room.
Looking over my shoulder to make sure Al wasn't looking, I slipped out the chain I wore around my neck. Attached to the chain was my skeleton key I got from Santa during my visit to Halloween Town. Hard to believe four months ago I had entered the world of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Now I could go back and visit their world whenever I wanted. I remember the first time I revisited. It was after I moved into my new apartment…
~Flashback~
Looking around the room I was utterly, completely bored. Al had riding practice, and Kat was out shopping with her gay friend, Cannon, leaving me alone to finish unpacking. I was happy to move out of my parents' house, but being alone was so dull. I had already unpacked my things and moved them where I wanted them in my room. Meanwhile Mogwai and Crepe were snuggled up cozy by the fireplace. Now I was just sitting on the couch with nothing to do. I absentmindedly fiddled with the chain around my neck when my fingers brushed against the key.
It had been a month since my little adventure and I still hadn't tried going back. I started to wonder. After all, I had nothing else to do, and part of me was curious to see if it really worked.
I jumped off the couch and rush to the front door. Making sure the apartment was locked; I used my key and turned the lock. When I opened the door it led into a dark room. Well, at least I knew my key worked since the hallway leading out of the apartment was gone. I felt my excitement build. I couldn't wait to see Jack and Sally again, and little Zero too. Though something was bothering me: why had my key led me to a dark room?
Curious, I stepped through and shut the door behind me. I kept my hands out in front of me to keep from stumbling or running into anything. Finally I found another doorknob and turned the handle. When I opened the new door I found myself in Jack's…bedroom? Apparently my key opened a door into Jack's closet.
Momentary awkwardness aside, I stepped out of the bedroom and began to look around for Jack. I wondered down the halls, looking in the open doors for my thin undead friend. As I looked into one room I saw the furniture was covered with dingy sheets, and there were boxes all over the floor.
"Sheesh, looks like my room." I took one step inside when one of the sheets sprung to life and flew right at my face. I stumbled back into the wall as my face was rained upon with slobbery kisses.
"Okay, okay, enough Zero," I laughed as the ghost dog continued to lick my face. "I'm happy to see you too." He gave a happy yip before zipping around me in his usual greeting. "Sorry Mogwai isn't with me. Hey, think you could help me find Jack?"
"Ruff!" Taking that as a 'yes' I followed Zero downstairs. As we descended I heard the faint sounds of music, rather jazzy music in fact. It got louder as we entered the living room. I looked around but couldn't see Jack anywhere. Then Zero nudged my shoulder and gestured for me to follow him. He was heading toward the kitchen.
I walked to the doorway but Zero motioned for me to hide. Unsure why I hid behind the door, then peeked my head around the corner to see what was going on. There I saw what looked like a tornado hit: dirty dishes, the oven still warm from cooking, and the source of the music, an old record player. Then I saw Jack. He was wearing a black apron around his waist, and mixing something in a bowl. He swayed to the music and, taking the spoon, he brought it to his lips and…
My fingers in your hair
Your sweet come hither stare
That strips my conscience bare
It's witchcraft
And I want no defense for it
The heat is too intense for it
What good would common sense for it do?
Jack wiggled his boney brows at that part and I slowly slunk back around the door before he spotted me. My hand planted over my mouth and I felt my face heat up; I probably looked like an embarrassed character from an anime or something. But how could I not laugh at what I'd just seen? I quickly checked to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.
'Cause you're witchcraft, wicked witchcraft
And although, you know, I'm mad about you
When you arouse the need in me
My heart says yes indeed in me
Proceed with what you're leading me to
Nope, not hallucinating. There was Jack, setting up what I now realized was a very romantic lunch for two, and he was singing and swaying like a love-struck fool to the jazzy music, complete with dance steps and spins. At one point he dropped the spoon back in the bowl, grabbed a broom, and started swaying with it like it was his dance partner. I could only imagine he was fantasizing about dancing with Sally. He twirled and spun, and dipped the broom, even leaning in like he was whispering the song lyrics in an imaginary ear.
It had to be the goofiest thing I'd ever seen! Oh how I wish I'd brought my phone to record this. I continued to watch, hoping he wouldn't spot me.
It's such an ancient pitch
But one I wouldn't switch
'Cause there's no nicer witch than you
'Cause you're witchcraft, wicked witchcraft
And although, you know, I'm mad about you
When you arouse the need in me
My heart says yes indeed in me
Proceed with what you're leading me to
It's such an ancient pitch
But one I wouldn't switch
'Cause there's no nicer witch than you
I couldn't hold back any more as the song came to an end. My arms wrapped around my sides as I bent over laughing. I just couldn't stop. Even Zero seemed to be snickering at catching his master in such a state.
Of course my laughter caught the spook's attention. Jack quickly turned and blanched snow white when he saw me. The broom fell out of his hands, and I thought for a moment his jaw would unhinge from how wide his mouth had opened. "W-W-Will?!" he exclaimed. "W-What are you doing here?"
"S-Sorry Jack." I paused so I could catch my breath. "I just though I'd stop by for a visit, but it seems I came at a…bad time." I started laughing again.
Jack shuffled his feet and looked off to the side. "It's just that well…"
I smiled when I saw he continued blanching."Let me guess. You have a date with a certain little rag doll beauty, and were just…getting in the mood." I smirked and winked; I felt like Al, without the suggestive eyebrow wag.
My answer came in the form of Jack blanching an even brighter shade of white. "…Yes."
Taking pity on him, I said, "Sorry to catch you in the moment Jack. I really did just stop by to say "hi" since I haven't seen you guys in a while."
"It's quite alright." He nervously rubbed the back of his skull. "I just wasn't expecting anyone at the moment and I guess I got a little…"
"Carried away?" He nodded. We looked at each other and then laughed.
~Flashback~
After the awkward moment passed, I offered to help him set up for his date while we caught up on things. I told him about school and moving in with my friends, and he caught me on the events in Halloween Town. He had just been telling me about how he and Sally had been when she arrived. Sally had been surprised to see me, but she hugged me and soon we got to talking. That had been a lot of fun, of course, Jack was embarrassed when I accidentally slipped and told Sally about his little song-and-dance number. The poor guy blanched himself into next Tuesday. And it didn't help when Sally commented it was cute, then kissed him on the cheek, but at least he smiled.
Eventually I left so they could get back to their date, but we all decided to get together for Halloween. I even asked Jack if I could bring Al and Kat along. He eagerly agreed, stating "The more the scarier."
So this was going to be my surprise for the evening. Taking my key, I inserted it into the lock and opened the door. A cold wind brushed past my face, followed by the crisp smell of autumn leaves. I looked out to see a haunted forest before me. A lone figure stood there waiting in the shadows.
"Trick or treat!"
XXX
GodlyJewel: Lyrics to "Witchcraft" by Frank Sinatra, though slightly altered at the beginning. Special thanks to Werejaguar of Halloween Town for pitching this song to me, and helping edit it to fit perfectly with Jack's romantic character.